Question 1

Is physio right for my problem?

Accepted Answer

This is the all-important question that many patients want answering. And it’s a very easy one to answer. If you’re in pain with or have any of the following problems then you can be really confident that physio is right for you: (Please note these are the symptoms and the problems that you might be experiencing, the injury as you see it and feel it, not the specific name or diagnosis of the injury in any detail).
 • Back pain and stiffness
 • Neck pain and stiffness
 • Shoulder muscle tension and tightness
 • Shoulder pain stopping you from reaching and moving your arm up
 • Pain and pins and needles in your leg or arm
 • Knee pain
 • Tightness and pain in the hip and thigh area
 • Pain in your lower back when you sit or stand for even short periods
 • Pain and stiffness in your back when you put your socks and shoes on

Question 2

How does physio help my pain or injury?

Accepted Answer

We can assess and find exactly what is going on that's causing your issue or your pain. Once we know what it is, we can find all the root issues in your body that are contributing. After listening to your whole story and what has happened so far we can make a judgement on the best way to help you to recover.
 
Generally, initial treatment is designed to quickly and effectively reduce your pain, stiffness or symptoms you may have. By then treating the root causes of the pain and improving how your body moves and works, the pain gets even less. Eventually you have ways to keep the pain away, and manage well in all the activities you do every day.
 
Depending on your condition, you may have the opportunity to become even better than you were before the pain started. This ensures that you can stay pain-free and active well into your years without the pain coming back.

Question 3

Can I refer myself?

Accepted Answer

Yes. This is the most common way that patients come to us. They have usually either been recommended to us by their friends and family, GP, Surgeon, work place or health insurer or have simply found us by this web site – but you do not need a formal referral from any of these. Just call and make the appointment or enquiry when ever you’re ready.

Question 4

Do you accept private health funds or Medicare?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we can accept all private health funds as long as you have Physiotherapy cover. You can either bring your card or we will provide you with a receipt so you can claim easily online.
 
For Medicare funding, you need to check with your GP for eligibility. If so, Medicare can help you fund up to 5 visits per year.
 
Physiotherapy for Workcover or CTP Claims: We are able to provide this service too as long as you have a claim number and insurance company.

Question 5

My pain seems to be better at the moment, do I still need physio?"

Accepted Answer

Sure, if you've been in any amount of pain and it's getting better but not 100%, there's always something that can be done to make it better. If that's what you're after, of course.

If you'd like to return to being healthy and strong, and there are still some things you can't do like before, but would like to do, that's where physio comes in to help you.

We also help you take care of the problem once and for all, as often with pain that gets better but not completely solved, a small injury or strain overtime makes the severe pain come back. This is a very common occurence especially as the body ages.

Our physio system is not about pain relief. It's about fixing problems from the root and making people active and help them achieve their health goals.

The 4-step system you can find out more about on this site, is a process. As someone's pain decreases, we can do more and more of the advanced things in the later steps.

So that even if you start off with physio having minimal pain, you will be able to advance through the initial stages more quickly and get more benefit from the last two steps.

Some people even come in sometimes for maintenance and prevention after having completed a plan. It's just a different way of looking at it, and also depends on each person's individual values.

Question 6

How long does a physio session go for?

Accepted Answer

Our standard sessions go for 1 hour for issues requiring more work done or multiple areas that need to be treated, and 40-45 minutes for less less complex problems.
This is because for the conditions we see, at least 40 minutes is needed to get the important things done. Some aspects of treatment are more effective when done in sequence and/or in combination. By having enough time to do what is necessary, the overall effect is maximised.
 
This also provides the most value to the patient for the time spent, rather than having to cut any treatment short. It's true not only during the session but also for the period of time in between sessions.
 
Any treatment will be much more thorough with enough time for proper education and problem solving, and sequence of treatments, with no need to rush and skip over important details.
 
For patients with problems in several areas (eg back and shoulder, or both shoulders) a Gold session (1 hour) is needed to treat things throughly and to get the most benefit, although the choice is still up to you.
 
Some patients also prefer doing Gold sessions to go through additional exercise coaching and treatment that they otherwise can't do at home. 
 
We find our longer sessions work much better than the standard 30 minutes session of most other clinics. Because what happens in these clinics when there isn't enough time, is patients are often asked to come in for treatment 3 or more times a week, incurring them more financial and time costs unneccessarily.
 
If the treatment isn't thorough enough, what can also happen is the patient doesn't reach the desired goal for the session and so takes 2 steps forward and 1 step backward between then and the next session.

Question 7

What can I expect from my first visit?

Accepted Answer

You'll be greeted and welcomed into our treatment area. Every one of our patients is treated as a unique individual. We address your whole body, not just the part that hurts or is injured.
 
Our goal is to understand exactly what is going on, the root cause of the problem and why it's important to you for us to help you solve the issue. You will be prescribed a specific treatment plan which is designed to address the problems responsible for your pain and symptoms and help you return to an active life as soon as possible.

Physiotherapy is not a "quick fix". Although pain relief can be quick in the beginning, to maintain it and truly get better from the problem you can expect to put a little bit of work in. Many people do feel relief within their 1st few visits. Most people experience a change or significant difference within 3 to 5 treatments and we typically have work to do even once your pain and symptoms have subsided because our goal is to help you become stronger and more resilient to this ever happening again.

Every patient is taught how to treat themselves at home using self-treatment techniques, strategies to change your activities and exercises tailored for you.
 
You will receive a personalized treatment program for treatment and long term prevention of your condition so you can stay active, mobile well into your years without painkillers, injections or surgery.

Question 8

How often will I need treatment?

Accepted Answer

It is impossible to predict the exact number of visits you will need as everyone's individual challenges are unique. We'll know more specifically once we see you in the clinic. This is why we offer a FREE Discovery Session, so you can get a clear understanding of what's going on and how long it may take to resolve before you commit to becoming our patient.
 
How often you will need treatment is always dependent upon the nature of your pain or injury. Our aim is to return you to full fitness as quickly and as safely as possible. Your physio will be in a better position to answer this following your initial assessment.
 
As for frequency, acute/early phase injury may require two or three visits in a short period of time to get best results initially.
 
On the other hand, a chronic but low level pain issue such as daily neck and shoulder ache and stiffness may require less frequent treatment, especially as it gets better and an exercise programme can be progressed so you can self-manage your injury.

Question 9

What should I wear?

Accepted Answer

To make your physio experience as comfortable as possible please bear in mind the location of your injured body part. For example if you have a lower back injury, shorts and a loose vest would be ideal. Or if you're suffering a shoulder injury, a vest or singlet would be great.
 
You do not have to remove all of your clothing. Just to confirm, so that there can be no miss understanding, YOU WILL NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BE ASKED TO REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHING.
 
Your physio will always aim to remove as little clothing as possible and we will never ask that you remove an item of clothing that may completely expose a large area of your body. For example, instead, we may ask that you remove an arm from your top for us to view the shoulder region. Occasionally patients will ask us if it would be easier or more convenient for us to provide treatment if an item be removed completely. You are free to make this decision.

Question 10

Can I bring someone with me?

Accepted Answer

No problem. You do not need to inform us of this decision in advance. If you are accompanied by a friend or family member then we will often ask if you would like them to join you in the physio room during treatment. Alternatively they can wait in reception if you would prefer.